With Every Event Is A Silver Lining
by Crowded Angels
Summary: CDR Love blossoms while the team is in mourning 3.01


**With Every Event, Is A Silver Lining. **19/09/04

Dscmr: The only CSI things I own are DVD's, books a T-shirt and the concept of this story...unfortuantely.

Please RR (first fic up here :) )

* * *

The sun shone behind the crowd. The usual clear Miami sky was above, with the beautiful blue tranquil sea in the distance. Such a beautiful day tinged with such sadness. 

They watched from the terrace. They met people on the worst days of there lives, now it was the CSI's. They had excused themselves from the memorial service on the lawns when Horatio left the podium after his speech.

_That was his cue. Horatio rose from his seat and walked past his team to his spot. Memories came flooding back of the last time he'd done this: Raymond's memorial service. He took his papers out of his pocket and began._

_Calleigh could still hear Speed's voice in her head. His little quips about her expertise in ballistics. It always amazed him that such a beautiful and dainty girl could know so much about firearms. She loved that fact. Calleigh loved that she broke the stereotype. She stared at the large framed headshot of her friend. Silently, tears ran down her cheek. They weren't the first she had shed since the incident, and they certainly wouldn't be the last. She willed herself not to break down in front of everyone. _

_Sunglasses tried to hide the tears falling from Alexx's eyes. It was particularly painful to be sat there for the pathologist, as she was the one to administer the autopsy on the young agent. That day was hard. To have been talking with Speed, then talking to him. _

_Delko was distraught, inside. His colleague, his tormentor and his friend was gone. Eric tried to listen to Horatio's speech but it was too much. This shouldn't have been happening! Not for Speed! The 'what ifs' and 'if only's circled through his mind. He knew he couldn't have done anything to save Speed realistically, but anger and resentment was better than him breaking down in tears, he felt. _

_He put his head in his hands and let his elbows fall to his knees. A soothing hand began to move across his back. Calleigh's. He could just about hear Tim's little remark. Eric had feelings for Calleigh and this would have been the perfect opportunity for Speed to pester him about why he hadn't asked her out. A smirk played across his lips at the thought._

_The congregation fell silent as H finished. Tears fell from the congregation of Tim's work colleagues. Horatio put his sunglasses back around his eyes and made his way from the podium, but didn't stop at his seat. He kept walking down the aisle and out of the large gathering. Calleigh, Eric, Alexx and Yelina followed._

Horatio brought his foot up to rest on the small wall, and leant his arm against his knee. He lowered his head. He felt he had a lost a son. Emotions came flooding back. Emotions he hadn't felt since his brother Raymond had died. It was his job to protect his team, why hadn't he? He looked back up to the crowd.

Calleigh stood to the side of Horatio, a step back. Tear's continually running down he cheeks. She used her hand to wipe them away, but it was becoming harder and harder to stay strong. She lowered her head and walked away to her safe-haven.

Eric watched her go, not knowing whether this was one of those occasions where she wanted company or just peace. He let her go.

Alexx stood on the other side of Horatio, also a step back. Her own safe-haven was calling to her. She took a step closer to Horatio and laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Will you be okay?' she asked quietly.

'I'll be fine Alexx' he replied, but she knew he wasn't fine. He had said it too reassuringly, but he had to look strong for his team, and Alexx admired that about him. She walked away, brushing her hand across Eric's arm as a sign of support. He smiled back.

Delko looked over his shoulder to the building, as if trying to hear Calleigh. She'd had enough alone-time, right? He decided to go see.

Yelina and Horatio were left on the terrace. It was Horatio that had been there for her when her husband died in the line of duty. Now it was her time to return the favour. Although she wished it wasn't. She moved forward, never moving her eyes from the crowd. 'You want to go get a drink, Horatio?'

He kept his eyes trained on the service. 'That would be good'

xxx

Delko knew exactly where Calleigh was going to be: the place she felt most safe and secure. He took a right and a left down the glass-walled lab corridors, heading for the ballistics lab. The HQ was totally empty. Everybody was on the lawns, saying goodbye to Speed.

There she was. Her beautiful long golden hair draped across her shoulders as he sat hunched over her desk. Her back quivered and shaked as she openly cried. Eric opened the glass door and sat on a chair next to Calleigh and pulled her into him.

Uncontrollable tears ensued as Calleigh fell into his strong, protective arms. She could feel his hands smoothing her hair down her back. She hadn't let herself go in such a way since...well as long as she could remember. It was a good feeling. To not be the strong, responsible one for a change, to let it all go. Only with Eric would she have that feeling though. He was her knight. As corny as it sounds, it was true.

Seeing his love in so much pain was hard for Eric. He had never seen her like this. Even when her dad is drunk or anything, he'd never seen her show any other emotion than 'chipper'. It was a whole new side that he couldn't help but fall more in love with. 'Its OK' he told her.

'Why Eric? Why Speed?' She asked shakily.

'I-I don't know... I wish it were me in his place.. So you wouldn't feel this way'

Calleigh sat up, shocked 'I would be worse if it was you'.

Delko looked into her big blue eyes. The author of that old adage that eyes were windows into the soul, must have met Calleigh went he wrote that. They were mesmerising. He could look into them all day. The best part about them was that he could tell that she wasn't lying. She really did have feelings for Eric.

_He feels it too! _Her face must have registered her delight, because Eric was leaning in. She leant in to.

Calleigh closed her eyes. She had dreamt of this moment so many times, she wanted to remember it forever.

Their lips touched.


End file.
